Aliens are Weird
by KiwiDayDreams
Summary: AU. Shepard and Garrus meet when they're much younger at the Citadel childcare center. Garrus has never seen a human before and Shepard has never seen a Turian up close. Shenanigans ensue as they both find out that aliens are really weird.
1. Aliens Are Weird

Another kink meme fill :) Rated K+ for minor swearing.

* * *

><p>"Why?"<p>

"Because Mommy has to go talk to some very important people."

"Why?"

"Because it's part of Mommy's job, sweetheart."

"Why can't I go? I can talk, too."

Hannah Shepard smiled despite herself as she and her daughter exited the elevator on the Presidium level of the Citadel. Too young to fully understand the details of her mother's work, her little girl was ever persistent to become involved. She didn't know why her mother insisted on talking about such boring things with the other adults, but she did know that she didn't like being dropped off with a babysitter, or at a daycare center. She was not a baby, she insisted, and she belonged with her mother and not with a pack of drooling, crying children.

It was probably all those bedtime stories, Hannah thought, the ones she loved about the soldiers and the heroes. 'I'm gonna join the Alliance like you, Momma,' she had said time and again, and her mother couldn't help but feel a sense of pride at her daughter's youthful conviction. But that was for another time, and for now it was best that she focus on things a young girl aught to – like studying, playing, and making friends. Unfortunately, the latter seemed to come less easily than the prior. The feisty little redhead was just too stubborn for her own good.

Her attentions were torn from her mother by the majesty of the Presidium, all the lights and fountains distracting. She followed her mother's lead up to the reception desk without much thought. As the elder Shepard spoke with the Asari there, the little one wandered to the railing nearby that overlooked a lake. Her large, curious eyes gazed up, and then up some more, at the statue of a impressive beast that stood in the middle.

"Whoa," she whispered.

"Like it, do you?" A booming voice came from her right. It startled her so much that she almost lost her grip on the railing, but managed to hang on. The red-crested krogan laughed deeply as she began to double-take between him and the statue.

"Is... Is that you, sir?" she asked.

"Sir?" he laughed again and shook his head. "No. The day I let them make a monument out of me will be the day Salarians fly." The little girl paused, regarding him questioningly, before opening her mouth. He stopped her. "No, they don't fly." Her mouth clamped shut. "Yet."

"You're a...Krogan, right?"

"Last I checked." The little one stepped away from the railing and regarded him with the direct openness only a child would dare. "What do you know of Krogans, welp?"

"My mom told me they're big, strong, and thick-headed," she replied, candidly. He laughed louder this time.

"Your mother is a smart woman."

"I'm going to be just like her some day. I'm going to join the Alliance and have my own ship an' everythin',"

"That so?" She nodded quite vigorously. "Hmph. That takes a lot of work to get that far."

"I can do it. I will do it," she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. The krogan approached her with a few heavy steps. He saw her swallow, but her posture remained unyielding.

"What's your name?" he rumbled, towering over her.

"Shepard," she replied, opting to give her surname, just like her mother always went by as an Alliance soldier. "What's your name?" He didn't respond right away, crimson eyes regarding her beneath his crested brow.

"Battlemaster Wrex." The tiny soldier's stance relaxed as it gave way to excitement.

"A real battlemaster? Like in the stories?" He watched her fumble, her tiny human brain likely filling with a million questions she just couldn't quite fathom. What stories she had heard, he didn't know, but he could appreciate her awe all the same.

"Sweetie, there you are." Shepard scowled and turned pink as her mother approached. How embarrassing to be called 'sweetie' in front of a real krogan battlemaster! "You're all checked in and I need to get to my meeting. Let's hurry along."

"But, Mom! I just met-!"

"Shhshh, none of that. Hurry along now. Scoot!" Wrex stood idly by and watched as momma Shepard ushered her offspring towards the childcare center, much to her obvious dismay. She finally submitted, but glanced over her shoulder in one last attempt to glimpse him.

"Wrex!" she waved.

"Shepard," he nodded.

Shepard allowed the Asari who's name she couldn't remember much less pronounce to lead her to the play room where the other children lay in wait. Why did they have such strange names, she thought. All the ones she had heard thus far sounded like little more than a sneeze followed by snort and a cough. When she had asked, her mother had shushed her and told her not to be rude. She wasn't being rude, she just wanted to know.

Once left to her own devices, she surveyed the room before her, taking note of all the alien inhabitants. At least it wasn't so boring as to be filled with nothing but human children like usual. Still, she suspected none of them would be as interesting as Battlemaster Wrex may have been had her mother not shown up. Heaving a sigh, she squared her shoulders and marched out amongst the others before dramatically diving behind a toy chest.

Pressing her hands together in a mock pistol, she slowly peered out from the corner of the box, spying a Salarian child on the other side. He was busy talking to himself in a rapid manner, placing geometric blocks together one way and then another, thoroughly engrossed. Gnawing her lip, she bent up over the box and took 'aim' at him.

"Hold it right there!" she declared. The small, speckled Salarian startled and glanced over his shoulder, blocks scattering before him. "You're under arrest in the name of the Alliance!"

"Do you mind human child?" he rambled. "Take your make believe elsewhere! I have equations to solve!"

"Equations?" Shepard said, dropping her hands just a bit. "Like math?"

"Yes. Must complete one hundred thirty equations before my tutor returns."

"That's stupid. Wouldn't you rather play?"

"Play?" he tittered amused to himself. "I AM playing!"

Shepard groaned and glanced over to a fellow human hopefully. "You're under arrest!" The smaller boy began to bawl quite loudly. Shepard's eyes darted to each side nervously and she made a hasty departure, not wanting to be blamed for causing his tantrum.

Disgruntled, she settled down against one of the walls in the far side of the room and leaned her cheek against a fist.

"Hi." Glancing up she saw a boy about her age, blonde, standing in front of her. "That was awesome. Are you an Alliance soldier, for real?" Shepard straightened up a bit and placed her hands on her knees.

"Yes," she replied, as stoic as she could manage.

"Wow. That's amazing. What's your name?"

"Shepard," she replied proudly.

"I'm Conrad... Conrad Verner," he grinned, and she noticed he was missing a couple front teeth.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too!" He settled against the wall in a rather close proximity to her. "I want to be an Alliance soldier, too!"

"Well," Shepard said, scooting to put some distance back between them. "That takes a lot of work."

"I can do it!" he replied, clenching his hand in a fist. "We can do it together!"

"Yeah, sure." Shepard decided it would be best not to make eye contact now.

"Shepard...?"

"Yes, Conrad?"

"Do you have a boyfriend? Shepard? Where did you go? Oh, I get it! We're on a stealth mission!" He jumped to his feet in search of the awesome girl. Shepard, in the meantime, had taken up residence in the nearest closet, holding her breath as Conrad sauntered by.

She had just allowed herself to exhale when the door opened and she froze like an animal caught by a dangerous predator...or her parents.

"What are you doing in there?" asked a strange, harmonic voice. Without a second thought, Shepard reached out and seized the creature into the closet with her and closed the door, hand clamped over its...um, mouth? It struggled and kicked in the dim light of the closet, biting down on her hand when it slipped in range.

"Ow! What did you do that for?" Shepard cried out, shaking her hand and hoping Conrad hadn't heard.

"You've initiated combat! I accept!" he said huffily, a small growl arising in his throat.

"No, I didn't! Ow," she replied. "Would you keep it down? You're going to give away my position!" The lanky bird creature appeared to calm down.

"Your position?" he asked, sounding puzzled. Suddenly Shepard felt two scaly, sharp hands running over her face and squishing up her cheeks as he leaned in to look at her more closely. "Who are you? _What_ are you?"

She smacked his hands away and rubbed the feeling of his small talons off her cheeks.

"What do you mean 'what'?' I'm a human," she replied as if it should be the most obvious thing in the world. "Are you stupid?"

"No, I'm a Turian," he replied, crouching beside her indignantly.

"Just because you're a Turian doesn't mean you aren't stupid."

"Turians aren't stupid. My father says _humans_are stupid." Shepard rolled her eyes and cracked the door open to take a peek and see if the coast was clear.

"Well, your father's stupid," she replied and the small Turian ruffled.

"You take that back, _human_," he said, trying to make the word sound as insulting as possible. He even tried to put a threatening growl behind it, like he'd seen his father do when interrogating a suspect, but a small, embarrassing squeak was all that came.

"Oh my god, what was that?" The human was laughing at him now, grinning at his expense. Her and her stupid...weird...squish face!

"Take it back!" he repeated, leaping at her and knocking them both out of the closet.

"No!" Shepard argued. "Ow! Let go!" He had managed to get a fistful of her hair and was yanking on it relentlessly until she flipping him over and knocked her head against his still developing forehead crest. "Say it! Say Turians are stupid!"

"Never!" he growled out, using the strength behind his legs to buck her weight off him. "Ha!" Shepard made and oofing noise as she landed on her side and quickly pressed up to her feet again.

"Shepard! Shepard I found you!"

"Not now, Conrad!" she warned, keeping her eyes locked with the vibrant blue ones before her as the Turian stalked around her.

"What's going on? Is he bothering you? I'll help!" She breathed a hefty sigh at this irritating insistence, but was surprised when the young boy actually ran out in front of her and held his arms wide to block her from harm. "Stand back, Turian! You will not harm my sister in arms!"

For a second, Shepard was actually impressed. Perhaps there was more to this Conrad than she had initially suspected. Maybe he wasn't just some lanky, slightly creepy -

"Get out of my way," the Turian said.

"Yessir!" Conrad scrambled away without blinking an eye, and took off somewhere Shepard didn't see. So much for that.

"Just like a human. Coward."

"_I'm_ not a coward."

"Yes, you are. All humans are." Shepard had had about enough and gave a battle cry before barreling into the Turian again. The two clawed and scraped, growled and screamed. It was inevitable that they would draw attention, and suddenly they found themselves being extracted from each other by a biotic force. As they floated in the air, they both caught sight of a rather disgruntled Asari.

"What's going on here?" she asked, arms crossed and and eyes narrowed.

There was a pause. Then the explanations came out rambling all at once.

"He started it!"

"She attacked me!

"He bit me!"

"She said Turians were stupid! Which everyone knows is NOT true!"

"Yeah, cause his _daddy _says so!" she spat back.

"Enough! Shepard! This is your first visit to our facility. This is no way to make a good impression." She turned her gaze. "And Garrus. You should be ashamed. What would your father say?" Her words were enough to put the disgruntled sense of defeat into them.

As they were both placed in a time-out, Shepard took her punishment in silence. She couldn't speak for Garrus, but this wasn't the first time she'd come face to face with the stark corner of a room. Every now and again she would steal a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. Turians really were strange looking. She couldn't decide whether he looked more like a bird or a lizard. All she knew, as she touched the bandaid on her cheek where he'd scraped her, was that whatever he was, he was sharp.

Garrus muttered and shuffled his feet. What would his father think, she'd asked. He knew exactly what his father would think and it wasn't going to be anything good. What if he decided to stop bringing Garrus along to work? What if he changed his mind about training him for C-Sec? Garrus glanced at the fleshy being in the other corner. It was all her fault. His father hadn't said it exactly as such, but he was right all the same. Humans were stupid.

* * *

><p>The rest of the afternoon Shepard made a point to stay as far away from the Turian as possible and busied herself with the art supplies. First, she drew pictures of Alliance ships and then others of what she thought her own ship should look like (there were lots of guns and thrusters). She drew pictures of herself tall and proud, waging battles with various aliens, sometimes with a certain Krogan battlemaster as her partner. At one point she started an attempt at drawing a Turian, but decided against it when they always came out looking wrong.<p>

She was just scribbling in frustration over her final drawing when she heard something strange. A voice, multi-tonal like Garrus' but much lower in pitch, caught her attention. It didn't sound happy, though she wasn't sure what it should sound like if it was. Hopping up from her cross-legged position on the floor, she crept to the doorway and peeked into the reception lobby where she spotted an adult Turian, dressed in C-Sec blues. He was speaking with the supervising Asari and Garrus, looking like he was trying to disappear, sat hunched in a chair nearby.

Shepard, for the most part, ignored him out of spite. Her eyes glued to the adult Turian, who she assumed was Garrus' father. It was like Garrus couldn't shut up about this Turian, but since it was only in her own head, Shepard admitted he was impressive looking. She had seen Turians only once or twice before, but never up close. He had a lot more plates than his son did, and the spikey things on his head were much longer and sharper. What caught her attention most were the blue markings on his face. They looked like war paint. Reluctantly, Shepard decided they were cool. Garrus' father turned his attention to his son and she ducked back a bit to avoid being noticed.

For the briefest moment she smirked at the idea that the trouble-making Turian had gotten in trouble. Served him right. She knew she would likely get reprimanded by her own mother, but at least she wasn't taking all the blame. Garrus snapped up almost instantly as his father's gaze fell on him. He was out of the chair, up tall and straight, arms folded behind himself in a pure military fashion. Shepard couldn't hear much as the elder Turian spoke in a very low tone. He didn't seem very upset, she thought, his demeanor calm and quiet. The only movement Garrus made came from his mouth, responding to whatever it was his father was asking. Otherwise, he may as well have been a tiny statue at his father's feet.

Their chat wasn't very long. With a word or two to the Asari, the elder Turian turned to go. Once there was some distance between them, Garrus seemed to deflate and began to follow.

"Hmph," Shepard said to herself. "Wish my mom's lectures were that easy." Oh, well. Maybe his father was waiting until they got home to issue a proper punishment. Without giving it another thought she plopped down and began drawing again to pass the time until her mother returned for her.

Garrus flipped forward a few pages in the holo-book he was reading. It was no better. What was with all these childish books in the poor excuse for a library? There was nothing like he had at home. No books on battle strategy. No books on weaponry. Nothing but drivel about Dick and Jane and how they liked to run. Who cared how a couple of stupid humans liked to run? It might have been a little more interesting if they had been running from something like, oh say, a pack of Tuchankan varren.

Garrus couldn't help but chuckle at the idea, though he quickly quelled it before anyone noticed. He got up to put the book back in hopes of finding something a little more to his liking. He ran the tip of his talon over the spines of the books as he skimmed them, mock-gagging a couple of times at the more ridiculous or blase` sounding ones. He had just gotten to the end of the bookshelf when something caught his eye. There was a smaller book on the floor, whose cover looked decidedly more exciting than all the others. There was a battle being waged between a large synthetic and a mighty looking Turian on it. Above them in large, scrawling letters, it read "Adventures of Rihkus: Turian Spectre."

Eagerly, he bent down to retrieve it.

"Eccheem." Oh, blast.

Not two feet away from the wayward book sat the human. She was leaned against the wall with one of the books in her hand, a small stack of them to her left. If that wasn't bad enough, what was on her face completely threw him for a loop. She had red finger paint markings on her skin, under her eyes, on her forehead and jaw. They looked perfectly deliberate, and not unlike the sort of thing he saw amongst his own people. She tilted her chin up, unapologetic as he gawked at her.

"I'm reading that." That seemed to shake the shock out of him. Defiantly, Garrus bent down and picked up the book anyway.

"No, you're not. You're reading that one."

"For now. But I was going to read that one next."

"Then I'm reading it right now," he replied. He watched as Shepard delicately placed the book in her hand to the side opposite the stack.

"I'm done. Give me that one."

"How about 'no'?" he challenged. She didn't seem to like that much, her face contorting into an angry frown.

"Do you want to get in trouble again?" she warned. He snorted and huffed a breath.

"What? The human is going to tell on me? Is that it?"

"No, but I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't hand it over!"

"Shepard said 'ass!'" Conrad peeked out from behind a bookshelf. "That is so renegade!" Shepard chucked one of the books at him, narrowly missing his head.

"What is your problem with me?" Garrus asked.

"I don't have a problem with you," she lied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Uh, yeah, you do. You obviously don't have a problem with Turians anymore." He waggled the book at her. "Not to mention all this." He gestured to the entirety of his own, still bare face.

"Shut up," she replied for lack of anything better. "It's war paint."

"No, it's not," he replied. "Those markings look just like Turian tattoos."

"So what if they are?" She hastily grabbed up another book from her collection and pretended to be instantly engrossed in it. He set his jaw hard, running his tongue over his teeth inside his mouth. This just wasn't worth all the trouble. It wasn't worth another lecture. It wasn't worth the disapproving looks from his father.

"I'm taking this," he stated, and marched away from her. Shepard watched him go and shrugged with a sigh.

* * *

><p>When lunch time rolled around, Shepard noticed that Garrus was still reading the comic book he had snabbed earlier. She tapped the sides of her tray with her fingertips thoughtfully and sat down on the bench at the far end of where he was. Attendance at the care center was sparse today, so the table was pretty empty aside from the two of them. He hadn't seemed to notice when she sat down, eyes firm on the book as he occasionally shoved something that looked like gravy and noodles into his mouth.<p>

Shepard tapped her fork on the table a few times, then proceeded to take large crunching bites of her carrot sticks. He didn't look up. Discreetly, she scooted herself down the bench further, sliding her tray along. She inched a little more every time until she was no more than a foot away, and took another cracking bite of her vegetables.

"Ugh. Yes, I know you're there," Garrus sighed, resting his hand on the table now and tilting his head back before looking at her.

"Are you still reading that?"

"Yes, why?" He leaned over the book again.

"Because I read it in like five minutes and you're taking forever." He growled softly.

"I finished it already. I'm just re-reading it."

"Why?"

"Is there something you wanted?" He asked, reluctantly turning his eyes to her again. Shepard looked back silently for a moment, chewing.

"Nah," she finally said. Garrus let his hands fall heavily on the table as his eyes rolled up in his head.

"Spirits. You're weird."

"Uh, no. You're weird," she corrected.

"I'm not the one walking around with a dead animal on my head." Shepard stopped chewing a moment and frowned.

"Dead ani- what?" She reached up as if to check for something she was pretty sure wasn't there a second ago. "That's not a dead animal! That's my hair!"

"Why do you have hair on your head and not anywhere else? It doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know it's just..." She stumbled over her words then decided to fight fire with fire. "Why don't you have markings like all the other Turians?"

"I will," he said, sitting up straight and adjusting the collar of his tunic. "As soon as I finish my military training."

"Wait...what? Finish your...?" Shepard blinked a few times. Somehow, despite his strange features, Garrus started to look smug. "You're not even an adult yet!"

"So?"

"My mom says I can't even join the Alliance until I'm eighteen!"

He gave her a quick once over.

"Maybe that's because you're not ready for it yet."

"I could be if she'd let me!" Shepard insisted, clenching her fists on the table now. "I mean, what have you got that I don't?"

"Plates for one...," he pointed out, tapping his talon against a broad one on his forehead. "How do you humans survive at all? You don't have any natural protection." He pushed a talon against the flesh of her arm, testing the pliability and she jerked away.

"Stoppit."

"I'm just saying." He had already been quick to notice the healing scratch on her cheek that he'd caused yesterday. Humans seemed incredibly fragile. It was no wonder their soldiers completely covered themselves in thick, heavy armor. The few humans Garrus had seen had been fully armored, and like the Quarians he assumed it was because of some biological weakness. His father had told them they were soft, and it would have made sense if they wore it all the time. Shepard had proven that was not the case, but despite her physical inferiority, she apparently still had no problem instigating fights with others.

There was a pause as they regarded each other silently.

"What are the tattoos for?" Shepard finally looked away long enough to grab the cookie off her tray.

"They say what colony we're from."

"Oh." She sounded vaguely disappointed, but it was fleeting. "What about the color?"

"Depends on the family. What _is_that?"

"It's a cookie." She watched his nose wrinkle up a little.

"Why are there spots on it? Is it an animal?" Shepard choked a little as she tried to swallow and laugh at the same time.

"No," she said. Garrus looked genuinely baffled. "It's a dessert. A sweet thing. The spots are chocolate." He continued to stare at her, eyes darting between her and this 'cookie' thing. "Um... It's just...sweet stuff. Really good. Wanna try it?"

"No, thanks," he said, waving a hand. "Human food will make me sick."

"Oh." She regarded the cookie one more time and the shrugged and shoved the rest of it in her mouth. Garrus looked at her with a bit of amusement in his eyes. "What?" Shepard asked.

"Your...your.. Um," he searched for the proper term, but gestured to where cheeks would be if he had any. "They've swollen."

"Huh?" Shepard asked, cocking a brow and reaching up to her face. Her cheeks were full of cookie, but nothing was swollen. She continued to chew and then gave a hefty swallow before reaching for her milk to wash it all down. Garrus cocked his head and regarded her with curiosity.

"Do you always do that when you eat?"

"Do what?" she asked, wiping a milk mustache away with the back of her hand.

"Expand...?"

"Uh, not that I know of. Sometimes my tummy gets kind of full." She patted her stomach and looked thoughtful. "It doesn't get much bigger than this, though." He nodded and there was another pause.

"Ah... Listen..." He tapped his talons on the table. "I'm...sorry I bit you yesterday...and...it wasn't a proper Turian thing to do...so... I'm sorry." His words sounded as though he was trying to remember something he was supposed to recite. It was likely something his father had told him to say, but Shepard took it for what it was worth. Her eyes wandered to the side briefly as she leaned an elbow on the table, finding her own apology just as difficult as his seemed.

"I'm sorry that I hit you...and that I called you stupid. It's not fitting of an Alliance officer's daughter to act so..." She squinted as she tried to remember the actual word her mother had said. After a second she gave up. "Um...like I did."

"And I want you to know that I meant no disrespect...and that...um... I don't think humans are inferior...," he continued to recall.

"I have the utmost respect for...uh...your father...What's his name?"

"Vakarian."

"For Officer Vakarian." She nodded. They both looked at each other again and gave a collective, defeated sigh.

* * *

><p>"You got lectured, too, I imagine."<p>

"For an hour!" she said, exasperated, gesturing dramatically before laying her forehead on the table. "And I'm grounded for a month!"

"I didn't know you could fly."

"No, it means I'm not allowed to do anything fun," she said, lifting her head again. "What did your dad do to you?"

"He told me if anything like that happened again he wouldn't approve my C-Sec training."

"You're joining C-Sec? Doesn't your dad work for them?"

"Eventually, and yes. How did you know?"

"I saw his uniform," she said. He squinted at her, and she knew she had just admitting to spying on them, so she acted quickly. "I thought you were joining the military. Why join C-Sec?"

"Most Turians get military training when they're young. I'm joining C-Sec because it's what my father did."

"Do you want to?" He offered her a glance and then looked down as if he had never really thought about that.

"I do," he finally said. "That way I can stop all the bad people on the Citadel."

"Why don't you become a Spectre, instead? Then you could stop bad guys all over the galaxy and do whatever you wanted," she pointed out. "You know, like Rihkus." Garrus let his gaze fall on the comic book again and shrugged up his shoulders. Shepard noticed the small, boney structures on his jaw moved a little.

"Spectres aren't heroes, Shepard." It was the first time he had actually called her by her name. The way it rumbled in his throat when he said the 'r' gave her a goosebumps. "They play by their own rules, not the rules of the galaxy."

"Well, yeah," Shepard said, lifting a hand emphatically. "That's the point."

"My father doesn't like them. Besides, you can't just sign up. You have to be picked by the Council." Shepard rested her cheek on a hand and poked at her food with her fork. Garrus took another slurp of his own lunch, a long, narrow tongue poking out and cleaning up the splatter on his cheek.

"I'm gonna be one someday," she said.

"Right," he said dismissively. "There's never been a human Spectre."

"I'll be the first, then. I'm going to be a Spectre...and I'm going to get my own ship with the best damn pilot in the universe." Determined, she began shoveling her food into her mouth wholeheartedly. Garrus watched her a moment and couldn't believe how much she seemed to find truth in her own words. It was as though, in spite of everything, she planned to do the impossible. This fragile, armorless little human with the weird mop of hair on her head was going to change the goddamn universe whether anyone liked it or not.

"Can I move yet?"

"No! Just stand there and be patient, Garrus!" Shepard said, agitated that he wouldn't stop asking every two seconds. She gnawed at her tongue as she erased a line and redrew it again.

"What are you doing?"

"Talking is moving. Stoppit." Garrus huffed a breath and stood still as asked, letting his eyes wander as the strange human named Shepard scribbled furiously on a white piece of what he'd heard was 'paper'. It wasn't used very often these days. Shepard had said they used to make it out of trees in the old times, but had to stop once trees became too scarce. It was now made of various plentiful minerals, but was hardly used in lieu of much less primitive technology.

When Shepard rose to her feet, still scrutinizing whatever was on the paper, he assumed she had finished. Instead, she passed him by and dug in the cabinet until she found the finger paints. Selecting the blue canister, she set the paper down and approached him directly.

"What are you doing?" he asked when she uncapped it and dunked her fingers in and made for him.

"Just hold still. This will only take a second!" Against his better judgment the Turian did as asked. He couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable as the alien began swathing her paint soaked fingers over his face. He refrained from questioning her during this process for fear she might jab him in the eye or something. After a few minutes she stepped back and looked at him, studying her work. An agreeable nod told him she was satisfied, and she went and grabbed her paper, using the remaining paint on her fingers to put the color on it. "That's better."

Her lips spread wide with the subtlest show of her teeth and her eyes grew warm, so Garrus supposed she must have been pleased. She walked over to him and held up the drawing. He looked at the scrawled images, a Turian with blue markings and what he could only assume was a human given the strange splotch of red on its head that must have been hair. Shepard shoved it at him enough that he took hold of it and she rounded him to look on with pride. When he didn't say anything she decided to explain.

"That's me. _Commander Shepard_," she grinned, making a small amused noise. "And this is you. You're like my second in command or somethin'." She jabbed her finger at the Turian, accidentally smudging some blue on the ramshackle armor she'd drawn on him. Her eyes wandered between him and the paper a few times. "So, do you like it or what?"

"It's... I like it," he nodded simply. This seemed to maker her happy enough, another smile causing the red markings she'd given herself curving upward. She glanced away from him as the Asari called her name and told her her mother had arrived. As she moved to go, she turned and walked backwards to see him.

"You can keep it," she said. "I'll see you around, Garrus!" He nodded as she ran to meet her mother at the reception lobby. Once he heard them leave he looked back to the drawing. Shepard was not the most talented artist in the world, the whole thing a bit messy. She'd drawn his fringe a little long, and she was too tall and had some strange bumps in her armor. All I all, though, the two of them looked decidedly bad-ass. He particularly liked the gun she had given him. It kind of looked like a rifle.

As he headed for the bathroom to wash the paint off his face he caught sight of himself in the mirror and paused. The markings she'd given him were a bit sloppy, but for some reason seeing them made him feel a swell of pride. He stood up tall and straight, trying his best to mimic his father. He wasn't nearly tall enough yet to strike the same image, but it didn't bother him so much as he looked at the picture again. The smudge of blue paint had dried on his gray armor.

He decided he rather liked the blue.


	2. Strange, but No Stranger

Had requests for an addition to this, so here it is! :)

* * *

><p>(PastPresent scenes separated by break lines)

Garrus traced his scar tissue with the tip of a talon, giving a soft grunt at the feeling.

He was finally removing the bandage for good and taking the time to really look at himself in the mirror now. The wound had left a cracked appearance across one side of his face, splitting up into the faded blue of his facial markings. He shifted his jaw a little, mandibles flaring out so he could study them as well. It had healed up better than he could have hoped for all things considered. Sometimes his jaw still felt a little stiff and if he opened his mouth a little too wide he would hear the shifted plates click together, but they were minor discomforts he was content to endure.

He was alive, and he had her.

Stepping away from his reflection he moved to pull his tunic over his head. A glance towards the control panel told him he only had fifteen minutes before he was supposed to meet Shepard so he picked up the pace. He had learned all too well that she would be sour with him if he was late and he really couldn't blame her. The restaurant had been happy enough to cater to the famous Commander Shepard and push the reservation up by a couple of years, but they still had to book it well in advance. He had almost forgotten about it entirely, but not Shepard. She had been looking forward to it and it and making her wait only meant hell for him later.

So he adjusted the collar of his tunic and gave his scars one last glimpse in the mirror before making a hasty exit.

* * *

><p>"Garrus, you're late!"<p>

"I'm sorry." Garrus apologized before wondering why he should be required to do so. "What am I late for?" The young human girl gripped his angular shoulders after she had stopped shaking him, squinting one eye at him.

"You're joking, right?"

"Turians don't joke," he replied, huffing up his chest a little. Shepard released him and crossed her arms, giving him a disapproving look.

"They're taking us out on a trip today. We get to see the rest of the Citadel! Do you know what that means?" Garrus' eyes darted left and then right before settling back on the redhead's expectant face again.

"That...we...get to see the rest of the Citadel?"

"Ships, Garrus. We get to see SHIPS," she emphasized. The turian was not quite sure what all the fuss was about and cocked his head to the side. He'd seen ships many times traveling with his father. In fact, if you just looked up half the time you could see them flying over the Citadel grounds. Having co-habitated in the care center with this peculiar human for a couple of months, however, he had learned it was best not to tell her that the things she was excited about were, really, not all that fantastic.

"You want to see the ships?" he asked, instead. The girl beamed a bit.

"Of course! Can you imagine being right up close?" Yes, Garrus thought. Her mother was an Alliance officer, wasn't she? Didn't they let their hatchlings around their vessels? Then again, if they got so excited over these little things maybe it was best that they didn't. Shepard's eyes widened and she clasped her hands together. "Do you think they'll let me fly one?"

"No," he replied, probably a little too quickly. Realizing his error, he added, "You need a license."

"Right," Shepard huffed, clenching a fist in disappointment. When her large eyes flickered to him again they did a double take and with the tact she just didn't seem to have, she touched his face. Garrus tilted his head away from her, having hoped she wouldn't notice the bandage on his lower left mandible despite how obvious it was. "What happened to you?"

"Training," he replied, waving away her hand.

"Did you break something?" He gave her a flat expression.

"No. It's just a split plate."

"You broke it."

"I did not break it!" he argued, his voice reaching an awkward pitch that he quickly subdued with a cough. "It's split. That's not the same thing."

"Can I see it?" Alright, he thought, she was getting a little too interested in his face now.

"No," he said. "Stop that. Why do humans have to touch everything?" Shepard indignantly pulled her hands back at that remark.

"Well, excuse me for caring," she frowned and turned her head sharply to the side. Garrus gave a defeated sigh. He hated when she did that.

"That's not what I meant," he said.

"I know," Shepard said, offering him a crooked smile he wasn't expecting. Perhaps she was just in too good a mood because of the trip to be angry with him. He was glad because her silent treatments were never very fun and she had a habit of glaring pointedly at him all day when she thought he'd earned one. "What's a split plate feel like? Like a cracked bone?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly with a shrug. "I haven't cracked a bone."

"Did it hurt?" She had gone back to staring at his bandage. At least she had decided to keep her hands to herself now.

"Only at first. Now it just kind of feels strange." Shepard nodded with a thoughtful look and her fingers to her chin. Garrus began to feel a little anxious. She didn't usually look that focused unless something unsavory was formulating in her mind. He hadn't been expecting what it was, however, and took the blow from her fist full on at his shoulder. Caught off guard, he stumbled and blinked at her disbelievingly. Her face contorted uncomfortably as she waved her hand about and cradled it in her other arm.

"Oww," she said. "Geez, Garrus."

"What was that for?" he asked, feeling a bit riled from the surprise attack.

"I wanted to see how hard your plates were. That really hurt!" Garrus thought to ask her what in the universe was wrong with her that she'd hit him instead of just asking, but something else inside him decided to respond instead. He growled and shoved her shoulder roughly. She stumbled and nearly lost her footing entirely but returned the look he had given her a mere moment ago.

"What was - ?"

"Just wanted to see how soft you are," he retorted, feeling rather witty. Honestly, he knew exactly where this was going. Their initial tousle upon meeting hadn't been their last. When they argued, it often ended up in roughhousing. There was nothing personal about it and neither had any intention of really hurting one another. It was just how they tended to 'work it out'. For all the things that Shepard did that Garrus thought was completely bizarre – this was one thing about her he could appreciate and fully understand. So when the human and turian came forehead to forehead, claw to hand with one trying to force the other to submit, it was all in good, reckless fun.

* * *

><p>"Ah, there you are. I was starting to worry."<p>

Shepard gave Garrus' elbow a jab of her finger before wrapping her arm around it.

"Afraid I'd stood you up?" he teased before leaning in to give her forehead an affectionate brush of his own.

"You know how well that would have ended for you," she grinned and then let her smile soften. "You look good, Mr. Vakarian."

"Oh, this old thing?" he chuckled, smoothing the tunic with one hand. It looked almost identical to the one he'd worn during their first time together, except that the blue was accented with black and slim trims of silver. Shepard had had it tailored for him especially as a gift and this would be his first opportunity to wear it. He had to admit she had good taste in color, not that he hadn't made it obvious what his preferences were by this point. Her own attire was new to him as well; a simple, high-collared sleeveless dress so deeply blue it was almost black. The way the skirt spilled off her hips and down her legs in a gentle flow of fabric was so lovely Garrus almost thought it a shame the sight was so rare. Almost...simply because the sight of her in anything, or nothing at all, made him just as happy.

He was pulled from his admiration when Shepard's fingertips brushed his face, tracing the scarred flesh. Her tilted his head into her touch and watched her smile.

"It looks great, Garrus," she said, and he rumbled a small laugh. She quirked a brow and smirked a bit. "Shush, you know what I meant."

"I know," he said. "Shall we?" She nodded and turned to the hostess to be escorted to their table.

Once they were seated and handed their menus, Shepard gave a the hostess a polite smile and nod, waiting for her to go before biting her lip and grinning at Garrus elatedly from across the table.

"Excited?" Garrus asked, though he was well aware and entirely amused by it.

"You're joking, right?" she asked in all seriousness.

"Of course not. I thought it was obvious by now that turians have absolutely no sense of humor." Shepard crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the chair, raising a finely curved brow in his direction. Garrus folded his talons on the table and tilted his head to the side. "I told you. I'm not a very good turian."

"I think you're a fine turian," she said, nudging her foot against his ankle briefly beneath the tablecloth. "Best one I know, in fact." Garrus felt the faint tickle of a rumble begin in his throat, but kept his affectionate murmurs quiet as he watched her. She really couldn't have cared less if anyone saw her playing footsie with her turian mate in a fancy restaurant. She was usually fairly subdued about displaying her affections in public, but there were times when she didn't seem inclined to be terribly discreet. He supposed it was part of her all-too-natural urge to be defiant about everything. The minute there was any sign of distaste for her choice in a mate, she became ever more blatant about her love for him. A light brush of their fingers walking through the Citadel soon had them walking arm in arm. A subtle head bump suddenly had her hands on that vulnerable part of his neck that bordered on scandalous. The more reserved, proper turian part of him almost stopped her sometimes, but the vigilante that he'd become during her absence only wanted to encourage it further.

Unfortunately, they'd been banned from a couple of places. He might have cared had he still been part of C-Sec, if he had been anything like what his father had wanted him to be, or if he had never met her. And he really didn't want any of that. Shepard's cry for the world to dare to challenge her whims was far too entertaining to miss.

"Garrus, there's a problem." Shepard had since buried herself in the menu and she was scrolling back and forth with her brow furrowed and lips pursed together.

"What? It's supposed to be a multi-species restaurant. They should have something we can both eat," Garrus replied, finally plucking up his own menu and skimming its contents.

"It is... I just... There's so many choices. How am I going to choose something? I mean, who knows when we'll be able to come back here again?"

Garrus tapped a talon to his jaw thoughtfully.

"Well," he hummed, curling his tongue around the word as he drew it out. "You can just do what you did with that mercenary gang back on Omega."

"You'll have to be more specific, Garrus," Shepard said, mouth quirking with a hint of amusement. He gave her a crooked turian grin and pointed a finger at her, folding his thumb down.

"Just close your eyes and shoot."

"Hmm." The mischievous grin was full blown now. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

* * *

><p>"Why does she keep talking about all the boring stuff?" Shepard said in a hushed tone.<p>

"Shh, it's not boring!" Garrus hissed back, jabbing her in the ribs with his elbow. She grimaced and rubbed the tender spot with her fingers. He picked up his stride a little to stay close to their tiny tour group while an Asari who's blues were darker than their caretaker's spoke about the Citadel's architecture and its meaning. Shepard didn't lag behind for long before sidling up to him again.

"Don't tell me turians like all this history stuff."

"It doesn't matter if I like it or not. It's important to know."

"Why?"

"We're supposed to learn from our ancestors."

"The turians didn't build the Citadel," she pointed out. Garrus scrunched up his nose and looked at her exasperatedly. He'd long since decided that there were just some things humans would never understand, but that didn't make this any less frustrating. Besides, they kept getting the 'warning' eye from the two mature Asari and he wasn't about to get in trouble because of Shepard...again. Shepard's small lips curved into a smirk at his expression. "Bet you thought I wasn't listening."

"...where the Council convenes. Any questions so far, dear ones?" Shepard's hand shot up in the air with such force Garrus could feel a small breeze brush past him. "Ah, yes. What is your question?"

"When are we going to get to see the ships?" The matron Asari blinked twice and then smiled good-naturedly.

"We won't be visiting the docking station, little one. It is very busy and we don't want to distract the pilots, do we?"

Garrus knew what Shepard was going to say. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the breath rising in her throat ready to expel the words heedlessly out of her mouth. He had to do something – and since tackling her was out of the question...

"Can we see the atrium again?" he spoke up a little louder than he'd meant to. Taking his tone down a few notches he added, "Please...?"

"Certainly," the matron said with a bow of her head before turning. "Come along." For a moment, Garrus allowed himself to feel relieved that he had averted a disaster. He trailed right along the others feeling rather proud of himself, even chancing a glance in Shepard's direction despite the fact it might end up earning him a betrayed scowl.

But she wasn't there. Garrus stopped dead in his tracks and whirled around to the left and right, and then all the way around trying to find out where she'd vanished to. It was then his eyes caught sight of her bright red hair as she headed in exaggerated stealthiness towards the nearby elevator. Forget proud, now he was just panicked and torn.

He could just ignore her; stay with the group and let her get caught by the Citadel staff. Then she'd be chastised for misbehaving and he would have nothing to do with it. No calls to his father. No endless lectures once he got home.

As he watched the lanky, spry young girl edge ever closer to the elevator that probably led to much more exciting things than fountains and plants, Garrus felt something coil up inside him. Everything he relied on that told him to be a good, responsible turian insisted that he turn right around and forget about whatever insanity he was entertaining. Nothing good would come out of giving chase to this brazen human girl. What did he plan to do, anyway? Drag her back to the care center kicking and screaming? That was hardly going to happen...not that he couldn't do it. He had far more training than her and she was far too scrawny to beat him weight-wise. He just didn't quite fancy the idea of getting into a brawl with her in the Citadel's restricted areas.

"Shepard!"

"Hah!" she yelped and turned with her hand to her chest as though he'd given her a heart attack. "Garrus -!" In a hasty move, she grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and whirled him into the elevator and activated the holo to close the doors before they were seen. It took her a couple of tries since she was just a few inches too short to reach it. Garrus startled a bit as the elevator began to move and then blinked, dumbfounded, wondering when, exactly, he'd gotten close enough for her to seize him like that. Shepard huffed up her chest with a relieved breath and grinned at him. _Oh, spirits, here it comes._

"Couldn't stay away, could you?" she teased.

"Quiet," he growled, clenching his small claws. "I just came to make sure you don't break anything."

Shepard seemed oblivious to his scorn.

"Good. Watching my back. That's what a second-in-command should do."

"I – what?"

Shepard wandered over and planted her hands on his angular shoulders firmly.

"I knew you wouldn't leave me," she smiled and the turian found his arguments caught in his throat. That look on her face. It was different from all those contorted expressions she usually gave him. It was...softer. Her eyes...they were...sincere? Proud? That thing coiling in Garrus' stomach soothed itself into a swell of warmth that ran right through him. He'd meant to tell her how crazy she was, talk her out of this before they got caught, but instead he stood up straight and felt his mandibles twitch faintly.

"A turian never abandons their Commander...," he said, eyes darting to the side before looking at her again. "Commander."

Shepard's eyes gleamed then, and she smiled a genuine smile. It was enough for Garrus to forget the inevitable consequences for a time. He had a mission now. He had to escort his Commander safely to the docking bay. He didn't hold the same fascination for seeing the ships there, but the idea that she trusted him enough to claim him as her second, a very honorable position indeed, was enough.

They planted themselves firmly against the walls of the elevator when the doors opened again. Shepard dared a peek outside first and then motioned for Garrus to follow when she was certain there was no one present in the hall. There appeared to be very few people on shift that day, and they managed to get farther back into the building with little trouble.

Instead, the trouble came when they tried to enter any of the doors.

"None of these things are opening!"

"They're security locked. Didn't you think of that?" Garrus asked as though it should be common knowledge.

"No, Garrus. I didn't think about it," she said with a frustrated, mocking tone. "What do we need to do to open them?" Garrus stepped up beside her and regarded the glowing orange holo on one of the doors.

"These doors look like you need a key code."

"How do we get those?" Garrus shrugged up his shoulders a little.

"My dad usually just gets them from his console at work." Shepard clenched her fists and stared at the holo as if she was silently challenging it to a duel.

"Right. We need to hack a computer!" she decided. Garrus opened his mouth, not sure what to say, and then finally clamped it shut. Where in the great expanse did she come up with these things? She turned to him then, fiercely determined.

"Mr. Vakarian! Find me a computer and hack it!"

"Shepard, all the computers are inside the rooms," he said, jabbing his finger at the holo. "How can I hack a computer to get a key code if I can't even open the door?" Shepard looked as though she was about to rationalize her plan to him somehow, when the holo on the door suddenly turned green with a soft chiming noise.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Whatever. You're brilliant!" she punched him happily in the shoulder. Garrus would have enjoyed the compliment more if he wasn't busy trying to drag Shepard away from the door and around the corner. She naturally protested, but when he clamped a hand over her mouth and crouched with her behind the wall, they both grew silent at the sound of the door opening.

"...promise I'll be back in just a few more days. …..I know, sweetie..."

Shepard and Garrus sat and listened to the female voice, unaware of who exactly she was talking to since they couldn't hear anyone else. She lingered somewhere between the room and the hall since the telltale whoosh of the door closing had yet to be heard.

"...know I don't like being away so long, either. Tell you what. I'll bring you a new model for your collection. Which one are you missing...? Of course." The voice became faint and the words too much of a murmur to decipher. When the sound of clicking heels could be heard, the turian and human girl tried their best to become one with the wall. Luckily, the woman that exited the hallway was too involved with her omnitool to notice them. "Hey, Lilian. It's me... Yes, I just got his call. Yes... I'm sure he'll be fine... You know Jeff..."

Shepard didn't waste any time. Once the woman was well out of range, she grabbed Garrus by the wrist and rushed around the corner just in time to throw them both through the closing door. Garrus rolled a couple of times, making him dizzy as he landed up against the far wall with his rear in the air. Shepard had tumbled a bit herself, hair in a tousle as she stood up and lifted her arms in victory. Once she had reveled enough, she moved to help Garrus back to his feet and began scanning the room.

"Computer...compuuuter..," she hummed. "Ah ha!" Wandering over to the console in the corner of the room, her face soured up again at the fact it was just out of her reach. Darn adult things. "Garrus. Help."

"I thought I was hacking it," he said.

"I can do it. How hard can it be?" Garrus shook his head and relented, ducking down to allow Shepard to climb up on his back. When he moved to stand again she fumbled, grabbing hold of his fringe and jerking his head back as she tried to get on his shoudlers.

"Ow! Shep-aaaaaackk!" he squawked. "Geez. Watch where you're grabbing!" The girl finally managed to get her legs clumsily over his shoulders and he grabbed hold of her ankles, trying not to lose balance.

"Garrus, stop being a spaz! I can't see anything!"

"I'm not a spaz!" he retorted. "Whatever that is!"

"You're both spazzes. Why are you in here?" Shepard and Garrus looked alternately one way or the other, Garrus almost falling backward with surprise at the third voice joining their conversation. Shepard was just about to suggest that maybe the office was haunted when the voice corrected her assumption. "Over here." The turian and human girl snapped their attention back to the console where a vid call had popped up. It wasn't a ghost after all, but a young boy looking at them warily.

"Oh, it was you," Shepard said.

"I'll ask again. What are you doing in my mother's office?"

"None of your business," Shepard said.

"It could be," he replied with a wry smirk. "If I call C-Sec and tell them there's thieves in the docking bay."

"You wouldn't," Shepard dared and Garrus could only drop his head against his chest at her gall.

"Why wouldn't I?" the boy challenged back.

"Because your mom is part of the Alliance."

"How do you know that?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Because of the symbol on the wall behind you," Shepard pointed out. The boy turned and seemed to notice this for the first time before turning back around. "My mom is also from the Alliance, so telling on me would make you a traitor."

"How do I know you're not the traitor? You're breaking into an Alliance office with a turian."

"I am not! And he's not 'a turian'. He's my second in command. We're going to go see the ships at the docking bay." The boy seemed to study them a moment. Garrus glanced up now and gave Shepard's leg a poke. When she looked down at him he pointed at the screen. Looking back up to see what he was gesturing to Shepard grinned. "You like ships, too."

"What makes you say that?" Spirits, Garrus thought, he was almost as stubborn as she was.

"Well, there's all those ship models in your room... And your hat is from the piloting academy." The boy reached up and touched the bill of his cap consciously for a moment. "Are you going there?"

"Not yet... but I will," he said, seeming to regain his confidence again after a moment.

"What's your name?" His eyes darted to the side and then back cautiously.

"Jeff."

"Jeff. We need to see these ships. I haven't gotten to see any up close. Please, you have to understand." A few strained seconds of silence followed until Garrus spied a smirk crawling over the boy's lips.

"Alright, you got me. Tell ya what. My mom's got a key code for the main door. You keep it quiet and I'll give it to you."

"Really? That's so awesome! You rock, Jeff!" Garrus huffed a breath, exasperated.

"Whatever we're doing, can we please hurry up? If we stay here too long we're going to get caught and then no one's seeing any ships."

"Cool your jets, turian," Jeff said. "The code is 24589."

"Yes!" Shepard pumped her fist in the air.

"But, really, the prickly kid is right. You'll wanna get moving." Shepard nodded and managed to climb with some semblance of grace off of Garrus' shoulders to the floor.

"Thanks a lot, Jeff. Good luck at piloting school!" she said over her shoulder as she headed for the door. Garrus followed, crossing his arms with a bit of agitation.

"I'm not prickly..."

It wasn't difficult to locate the main doors leading to the docking bay as they were much wider than the others. When Garrus and Shepard came upon them, she paused and stared up at the door anxiously. Garrus waited for her to put the key code in to the door, becoming puzzled when she continued to hesitate.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah... Of course... I'm just..." She bounced on her feet and began to gnaw at a finger a little. "I'm...not sure..." Now? Now she wasn't sure? Garrus looked at her with widened eyes a moment. "What? I've never seen the ships so close..."

"Are you scared?"

"No!" she insisted instantly. Garrus raised an eye plate and then decided that this was it. It was his time now. When the Commander was unfit to make a decision, it was his call. Wrapping his talons around her smaller hand, he stood up on his toes and input the key code. The door chimed and opened with a heavy gust of air that threw Shepard's hair about her face wildly. She stared, wide eyed as the initial blast of light began to fade. Garrus squeezed her hand to remind her he was there.

"Come on," he said, and led her out onto the platform.

* * *

><p>Shepard wrapped her arm a little more firmly around Garrus' as they stepped out on the docking platform on their way back to the Normandy. He adjusted his stride when she stumbled a little against him, uttering a giggle he doubted anyone else ever got the chance to hear. The wine had no doubt gone to her head at this point. She was no lightweight by any means, but when she was in the right company she would allow herself to relax and smile a bit more. It wasn't as though he was going to complain when she leaned her body into him for support anyway. He merely curled his arm around hers, the other hand tucked in the pocket of his trousers as they sauntered casually towards the railing at the end of the dock.<p>

As they neared the edge Shepard untangled her arm from his and trotted in her bare feet to the rail. She had forfeited the heels about an hour ago and stood on tip toes with fingers curled about the bar to look at the sweeping view of the Citadel and ships below. Garrus stepped up beside her and tilted his head upward to take in a similar sight above.

"You know... I always knew I was meant for this," Shepard sighed. "Well... not the dying and the savior thing...but this..." She gestured widely outward. "My own ship...my own crew..."

"Really?" Garrus hummed, leaning sideways with his elbow on the railing to look at her. "You knew it all? No surprises?"

"Hmmn," she laced her fingers together and looked up thoughtfully. "I didn't expect that I would fall in love with the turian I made my second." Garrus chuckled.

"But you knew you'd have a turian as your second?" he prodded.

"Of course," Shepard said, as-a-matter-of-factly. The turian's eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Well, no one told me about this plan. If I'd known I was scheduled to be recruited by Commander Shepard beforehand I could have skipped out on the whole C-Sec and Spectre debacle and gotten straight to it."

"But you look so good in blue," she pointed out. "Besides, you probably thought I was crazy the first time we met. You may not have wanted to come at all."

"Oh, you're crazy – ah," he grunted as she punched him in the shoulder playfully for the remark. "But I was going to say you get things done. And, believe me, I'm had crazier Commanders."

"Do tell."

"There was a human, in fact." Shepard's eyes lit up.

"I thought you'd only ever served with the turian fleet." Garrus rumbled a deep chuckle.

"As far as they know."

"Garrus!" Shepard gasped and tugged on his tunic now. "Did you work as a double agent? You never told me this! You horrible liar! Tell me now!" Garrus reached up and took hold of her hands to stop her from jostling him with excitement at his scandalous secrets.

"I was officially recruited at a childcare center." Shepard's expression grew blank at that and she tilted her head, squinting and trying to decipher where the truth ended and the joke began. Was he trying to be humorous again? Garrus waved his hand dismissively.

"I'd barely grown into my plates," he clarified. "It was like a game."

"You're weird, Garrus," Shepard finally said, with a cocked grin.

"Nah, you're weird."

"Uh, no, you're weird," she said, poking her tongue out between her lips and scrunching up her nose. Truthfully, it wasn't a face he'd ever seen her make before. It wasn't exactly one she wore during their time on the battlefield, and it was perfectly inappropriate for meetings with the Council, though he wouldn't be surprised if she'd been making it mentally. It was completely and utterly childish, and for some reason it tickled something in the back of his mind.

He turned his attentions back to the radiant redhead before him and she and raised her brows in question, having been watching him while he thought.

"Shepard...," he said.

"Yeah?"

"It couldn't...but..."

"What couldn't what?" Garrus paused and stood up straight then.

"I think I _knew_you."

"What?" Shepard said with a small, confused laugh. She became ever more puzzled and froze when the turian suddenly leaned in towards her and took in a deep breath near her cheek. "Garrus, this is hardly the place..."

"Spirits... It _is_ you... Much less cookie and paint smell...but still..."

"Uh, what?" she squeaked, almost afraid to move since she had absolutely no idea what was going on. Garrus lifted his hands and grasped her shoulders, leaning back just enough to look in her eyes.

"The care center, Shepard... Shepard.. the name can't be a coincidence... Your hair...your face...your scent... it can't be a coincidence."

"Oh, Garrus, that's impossible...Don't be -"

"Stupid? Yes, you called me that back then, too," he said with a light chuckle. Shepard clamped her mouth shut and stared and he willed her to realize what he just had. It took a moment, but when he saw her eyes grow wide he knew the memory had struck.

"No. Freakin'. Way. That little troublesome turian...?" Garrus' head reared back a bit.

"Troublesome? Excuse me, but I believe it was _you _who were always getting us in trouble."

"Excuse _me_, but _you _bit me," she said, placing her hands on her hips. If there had been any doubt before, Garrus was now certain that this was the very same human he'd met before. The thin, awkward little body had been replaced with a fine set of curves and muscle, but the way she jutted out her hip and pursed her lips in that accusing way was all too familiar.

"And it seems you've developed a liking for that," Garrus said. Shepard lifted a finger and waved it at him, mouth agape. "Okay, that was kind of low, sorry."

"You better be. Damned turian," she huffed, crossing her arms now. She was pouting. Spirits, he could remember how much he hated that before, but now it somehow just came off strangely endearing. "I guess... that would explain the deja vu feeling I've been getting out here..."

"That's right...we snuck out here before, didn't we?" Garrus recalled, turning his gaze back out to the port. "Another one of _your_brilliant plans, I think."

"All my plans were brilliant," she said, leaning on the rail again. "_Are_brilliant, in fact."

"Hmm," Garrus hummed deeply. "Even the one involving the hanar and the Citadel water supply?" Shepard flinched a little and reddened a little in her cheeks. Whether from embarrassment or the alcohol, Garrus couldn't be sure.

"It was the first hanar I'd seen, Garrus. I thought he was dying and needed to be set free," she said quickly, though the rationale from her childhood didn't seem to carry as much weight as she'd hoped. "They look like jellyfish, for god's sake."

"I...wouldn't know," Garrus said. He stared outward at nothing in particular, feeling surreal at what they were discussing, and the fact he and his tiny human Commander had actually reunited and done...well, so much more since then. He was pulled from his thoughts when Shepard sidled up next to him and brushed her soft hand over his rigid one.

"You know what?" she said. Her eyes gazed up at him soft and warm as they'd been the first night they'd decided to begin something together. Sometimes he felt as though his heart might swell out of his chest when he caught her looking at him like that.

"What?" he asked, quietly. Her smile widened as she curled her fingers between his talons.

"You kept your promise." Garrus squinted a little and felt his mandibles flare just lightly in a smile. She was right. Leaning close he touched his forehead to hers and nuzzled there just a little.

"Told you so."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe we did it."<p>

"Me either."

Shepard and Garrus sat side by side, dangling their legs off the edge of the platform as they held tight to the vertical railing on either side of them and watched the glorious ships soar overhead. Every time one came close enough a gush of wind would stir up and engulf them. They'd hold their breaths and then let it go in an exilerated and delirious fit of laughter.

"I... Uhm.." Shepard began, glancing down at her shoes as they dangled into nothing below. Garrus turned to look at her, breathing a hefty sigh after having regained himself from the last pass. The little girl glanced his way only briefly and smiled. "I'm glad you came... I was... kind of afraid you weren't gonna."

"You wanted me to come?" he asked, his brow plates raising in confusion.

"Well, yeah... I mean... I could have done this all on my own, of course," she said, lifting her head to assure him of her self-confidence. "But... It's better with you here."

"Oh," Garrus replied, simply, still regarding her and trying to figure out exactly what was going on in her head. He knew the whole idea was rather futile, but he just couldn't seem to stop trying to understand her.

"Can I tell you something?"

"Okay."

"I... I don't have a lot of friends...really..." Her tone fell quiet and became a little difficult to hear over the rush of the spacecraft around them. Luckily, Garrus had excellent hearing, but he still had to lean in to catch all that she was saying. "Kids don't like me much. I get in fights with them a lot. My mom says that it's a phase or something."

"You mean you won't always be crazy?" Garrus asked and Shepard granted him a disgruntled look, so he added. "I'm just asking! I just thought it would be strange if you weren't...uhm...crazy... Cause..then how would I recognize you? I...I kind of like that you're crazy. I'm...uhm.. I'm shutting up now."

"You like that I'm crazy?" Shepard asked with a look that made Garrus unsure about answering, as it may be bad for his health.

"Just thought...I wouldn't like it if you changed, Shepard," he said with a helpless shrug of his shoulders.

"I thought you didn't like -"

"Just -!" Garrus lifted his hands to stop her there. "Don't make me explain. You're so confusing all the time and you get me in to so much trouble...but..."

"I like you too, Garrus," Shepard smiled and the turian startled, caught off guard. "Even if you're a weird turian." Garrus stared, and then replied.

"You're the weird one."

"We're both weird. We'll make a good team, then, won't we?" Shepard tucked her hands in her lap and swung her legs, seeming thoroughly pleased with the idea. Garrus noted her contented demeanor and thought that, maybe, her words actually had some truth to them.

"We're friends..., right?" he said hesitantly after a moment of silence hung between them.

"Of course," Shepard replied without skipping a beat. Garrus looked down at his own feet now and gave a small turian smile. "But if we're gonna be friends you hafta promise me something."

"Like..what?"

"You have to promise that no matter where we go or what we do when we grow up...that you'll find me so we can travel the galaxy together, become famous...and shoot bad guys in the head."

"Hm. My dad says that sniper rifles are best for that," Garrus said, tapping his chin with a talon. "Can I have a sniper rifle?"

"Heck yeah," Shepard said with a nod and giggled a bit at Garrus' toothy, lopsided grin.

"You got yourself a deal, Commander," he said. "What are – eaugh!" Shepard unceremoniously spit some sort of clear fluid into her palm and held it out to him. When he simply looked at the mess in horror she shook her head.

"It's how we promise. Spit in your hand and put it in mine."

"That's...disgusting. Do you humans all regurgitate like that? What is wrong with you people?"

"It's not...whatever you just said. Ugh." She wiped her hand off on her pants without a second thought. "What do turians do when they make a deal?"

"Sign documents." Shepard gave an audible groan and lifted her fist instead.

"Just...hold your hand like this." Garrus eyed her warily, but did as asked. Shepard slowly pressed her fist against his. "There, fist bump. Promise?" Garrus tilted his head and looked at his balled up fist for a second or two.

"Yeah, I promise. Can I try again?" Shepard shrugged and held up her fist again. Garrus pressed his against hers more readily this time.

"Yeah, good. Like that," Shepard grinned.

"It's like head bumping...but with your hand...," he noted.

"Why would you bump your head?"

"It's...," he considered it a moment, continuing to repeatedly bump their knuckles together testingly, trying to find the best angle from which to perform this interesting behavior. "What do human mates do when they like each other?"

"Hug...or kiss, I guess," Shepard said, a little amused at how interested in this maneuver he'd gotten. To spice things up, she splayed her hand out after he'd hit it, simulating an explosion. Garrus perked up at this, obviously intrigued, and tried the whole thing again but with the new addition.

"Probably like that," he said.

"We've done that." Garrus stopped fist bumping a moment and looked at her, surprised.

"Nuh uh."

"Yes, huh," she said. "When we were wrestling. You head bumped me."

"No. I head _butted_you. It's different."

"Uh huuuuh. You head bumped me."

"I would never head bump a human! I don't like them like that!" he insisted, obviously flustered at the idea. "That's just...wrong."

"I'm just kidding," Shepard said, sticking her tongue out at him before turning back to the view. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the small turian huff a ruffled breath. He was way too easy to rile up.

She slipped backward and lay staring up into the expansive ever flowing sea of ships above. The future just couldn't come soon enough. There was so much awaiting her...awaiting them. When she finally received her very own ship she imagined the stories they would tell about Commander Shepard and Garrus Vakarian. As the turian settled back beside her and offered her a glance, she felt the excitement well up inside her. Her dreams were immense and wild, and they only grew greater with the thought of this turian by her side.

They'd made a promise now, and nothing – not even death itself – would keep them apart.


End file.
